mommy vs photographer
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as mentioned before, i just returned from holiday after attempting some photo shoots with my 2 little ones and their cousin on the beach. i will take it on the chin and admit the pictures are not all i had hoped. see here’s the thing, and its an observation i have made over and over again over the last two years – you cannot be the mommy and the photographer at the same time.
since having my 2 babies i have often been frustrated and disappointed with the pictures i take of them. its just impossible to be the provider of the refreshments, the stylist, the entertainer and clown, the consoler, and the artist altogether. with the help of my husband i have managed some decent shoots in the past, but it is with great effort.
the other thing i have often pondered is that if you are behind the lens, you are NOT PARTICIPATING, you are not interacting with your baby in the moment. this is very important because it is so sad. never get too busy trying to capture the moment that you miss being in the moment. i will repeat that – never miss being in the moment!
as a photographer i am always in a bit of a catch 22. i want to be the ‘preferred service provider’ for my family’s events, but as a result my poor kids and husband look like orphans and a widower in all our family photo’s – theres no mommy. at my daughters first birthday party is was soooooo difficult coordinating the event and capturing the event at the same time. for this year i am seriously considering (gasp!) hiring another photographer to take picture.
my advice to all new mommies (and the older ones who know this from experience) is to GET A PHOTOGRAPHER for special events. it will take all the pressure of you to be everywhere at once, you will actually BE in the pictures, and you will have PROFFESIONAL pictures of those major events to cherish forever. (i know your mom or sister has this ‘perfectly nice’ point-and-shoot digital camera but is it really worth gambling on the ONE chance you have to capture this special event)
i can hear you by the way – “have the woman not heard about the credit crunch and something called a recession”. i hear ya. but here’s the thing, your baby will only turn 1, 2 or 5 ONCE, and human memory is so selective. as parents we will rather not buy that nice pair of boots for the winter and give Sally or Sammy a fabulous birthday party. well sorry to disappoint, but Sally or Sammy wont remember what the bright purple Barney cake looked like or tasted like in, oh half an hour or so. so if you are going to be spending money on a party, you might as well have proof of it!
well thats my 2-cents worth for the day. let me know if you agree or not…